Article

Information for All Programme orientation meeting brings together the IFAP community

On 14 April, the Secretariat of UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) convened an informal orientation meeting aiming to inform and update IFAP stakeholders on the Programme’s work in responding to the fast-evolving information environment. Above 60 delegates representing 31 UNESCO Member States including 17 members of the IFAP Council, Bureau and Working Groups, as well as representatives from IFAP National Committees, attended the meeting.

15 April 2022

Last update:20 April 2023

In her opening remarks, IFAP Chair Ms Dorothy Gordon pointed out that this orientation meeting serves as a foundation to strengthened engagement “to buttress IFAP’s knowledge society goals.” She called for an expansion of intergovernmental partnerships and collaborations in the framework of the Programme, and for building up public-public partnerships, North-South partnerships, and South-South partnerships through multi-stakeholder collaborative engagement with civil society and private sector. Ms. Gordon highlighted that such engagement is key to strengthen access to information and knowledge.

IFAP is a unique intergovernmental programme that pursues a clear agenda of promoting inclusive and equitable knowledge societies. Each IFAP priority - information literacy, information accessibility, information preservation, information ethics, information for development, and multilingualism - contributes to this agenda.

Dorothy GordonChair of the Intergovernmental Council of IFAP

Dr Tawfik Jelassi stressed in his keynote speech that IFAP is a unique UNESCO intergovernmental Programme, which offers a global platform for information policy dialogue. ADG Jelassi and encouraged all Member States to scale up their support and voluntary contributions to IFAP.

It is vital that we recognize and promote the concept of information as a public good – as a key element in advancing our collective aspirations for a better life for everyone, and which forms the key building blocks of knowledge. Access to reliable information is more important than ever.

Tawfik JelassiUNESCO’s Assistant-Director General for Communication and Information

The IFAP Secretary Dr. Marielza Oliveira, Director for Partnerships and Operational Programme Monitoring in UNESCO’s Communications and Information Sector, gave a comprehensive presentation on IFAP’s strategy, governing structure and operations. She stressed that IFAP strives to ensure that everyone can benefit from access to information and to the means to turn information into knowledge, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Throughout the meeting, participants had the opportunity to raise questions and important points, as well as to share some of their good practices in engaging with IFAP. Several chairs of IFAP Working Groups and a number of IFAP National Committees shared progress achieved in their respective workplans, including in projects and activities they have implemented.

All participants appreciated the informative discussion and called for orientation meetings to be organized more frequently, as it “helps to better understand IFAP’s direction and plan of actions”, highlighted by Dr. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi, University Librarian of the Federal University of Technology Owerri Nigeria. Furthermore, the participants emphasized the importance of multistakeholder partnerships, and called for all Member States to actively engage in IFAP.